One hump or two? Elon students have their pick on 'hump day'

Published: Wednesday, April 23, 2014 at 04:59 PM.

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“This year, with that Geico commercial, people like the hump-day thing,” said Candice Stanley with Carolina Camel Rides of Ramseur as she held Oscar’s lead. Oscar is a 14-year-old, 2,800-pound, two-humped Bactrian camel. Things have been busy.

Hump day was the theme of the Elon University Student Government Association event on the Young Commons in front of Moseley Center on a bright and windy Wednesday. The SGA dipped into something called the Fun Fund to get two camels onto one of the two small hills — maybe humps is a better word — on the commons.

A crowd of at least 100 students, faculty, staff and visitors crowded around Oscar and Niles, a 13-year-old, 2,200-pound, one-humped dromedary.

Think of a sideways “B,” said the retired school teacher, to remember the Bactrian is the two-humped camel and a sideways “D” for the dromedary.

Everyone had their phones out taking pictures, and crowding around for a chance to take a selfie with a camel.

“I just heard the students coming in and talking about it,” said Tracy Torain taking her picture. She still wore her black apron and chef’s hat from her job in Lakeside Dining Hall.

Torain thought it might be connected to the international-themed menu the dining hall was serving Wednesday.

“But no, they said it was hump day.”

Camels have a reputation for biting and spitting, but Darrell Stanley of Carolina Camel Rides said none of his do. So students just had to decide if they wanted one hump or two.

The Stanleys are retired, Darrell Stanley said, and got started in this business after helping out with a Nativity drama at their church. Now they have three camels — just one Bactrian.

Bactrian camels, explained Candice Stanley, are from the Gobi desert in China where the temperature goes from negative 20 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter to 120 or more degrees in the summer. Oscar was well into his spring shedding. His top half was still wooly, but his bottom half was bare and leathery.

Dromedary camels come from the Middle East.

Niles was a little more skittish than the very laid-back Oscar. Some students with SGA herded people away from his right side so he would not feel surrounded.

Still, many decided to wait their turn with Niles. After all, they said, he was the “pretty one.”

Senior Brigitte Olabarria got her shot with Niles before moving on to class. She planned to post it online.

“If I got a good shot, probably (on) Instagram,” she said.

She said the photo-sharing site already had hundreds of pictures of Oscar and Niles.

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“This year, with that Geico commercial, people like the hump-day thing,” said Candice Stanley with Carolina Camel Rides of Ramseur as she held Oscar’s lead. Oscar is a 14-year-old, 2,800-pound, two-humped Bactrian camel. Things have been busy.

Hump day was the theme of the Elon University Student Government Association event on the Young Commons in front of Moseley Center on a bright and windy Wednesday. The SGA dipped into something called the Fun Fund to get two camels onto one of the two small hills — maybe humps is a better word — on the commons.

A crowd of at least 100 students, faculty, staff and visitors crowded around Oscar and Niles, a 13-year-old, 2,200-pound, one-humped dromedary.

Think of a sideways “B,” said the retired school teacher, to remember the Bactrian is the two-humped camel and a sideways “D” for the dromedary.

Everyone had their phones out taking pictures, and crowding around for a chance to take a selfie with a camel.

“I just heard the students coming in and talking about it,” said Tracy Torain taking her picture. She still wore her black apron and chef’s hat from her job in Lakeside Dining Hall.

Torain thought it might be connected to the international-themed menu the dining hall was serving Wednesday.

“But no, they said it was hump day.”

Camels have a reputation for biting and spitting, but Darrell Stanley of Carolina Camel Rides said none of his do. So students just had to decide if they wanted one hump or two.

The Stanleys are retired, Darrell Stanley said, and got started in this business after helping out with a Nativity drama at their church. Now they have three camels — just one Bactrian.

Bactrian camels, explained Candice Stanley, are from the Gobi desert in China where the temperature goes from negative 20 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter to 120 or more degrees in the summer. Oscar was well into his spring shedding. His top half was still wooly, but his bottom half was bare and leathery.

Dromedary camels come from the Middle East.

Niles was a little more skittish than the very laid-back Oscar. Some students with SGA herded people away from his right side so he would not feel surrounded.

Still, many decided to wait their turn with Niles. After all, they said, he was the “pretty one.”

Senior Brigitte Olabarria got her shot with Niles before moving on to class. She planned to post it online.

“If I got a good shot, probably (on) Instagram,” she said.

She said the photo-sharing site already had hundreds of pictures of Oscar and Niles.